Coyle, Froelich lead their teams to sectional titles
Seniors provide the
offense in a pair
of shutout wins
JERRY WOLKOWITZ St. John Vianney’s Alison Regler tries to fend off a Holy Cross defender during Thursday’s 4-0 Vianney win in the Central Jersey Parochial A final at Thompson Park in Lincroft.
The St. John Vianney girls soccer team is on a roll. Fresh off their Shore Conference Tournament championship win over rival Red Bank Catholic, the Lancers added another title to their collection last week, cruising to a South Jersey Parochial A title by beating Holy Cross 4-0.
It was the Tami Coyle show Thursday (as it has been all year), as the dynamic senior midfielder led her team to the first sectional title in school history by scoring a hat trick during the game at Thompson Park.
The Holmdel Lancers (20-1) were in control from the first whistle, pressuring the Holy Cross defense through the entire first half. Coyle recorded her first goal at the 28:45 mark, when Christina Andaya fed her a perfect pass, enabling her to blast the ball in the upper right corner for the 1-0 lead.
Although the Lancers only had a one-goal lead at the half, it felt like it should have been more, based on their dominant play throughout the first half.
JEFF HUNTLEY Middletown South’s Tara Froehlich and Erin Picarello of Lawrence chase down the ball during Thursday’s Central Jersey Group III final in Middletown.
Once the second half started, the over-all team speed of Vianney became too much for Holy Cross to handle. Early in the second stanza, midfielder Allison Regler sent a ball up the middle, allowing the speedy Coyle to head it in for a 2-0 lead.
The Lancers’ third goal was set up by a rising star, sophomore midfielder Jaime Komar, who used her excellent speed to drive past a pair of defenders, draw Holy Cross’ goalkeeper Michelle Malone toward her, and gently feed Andaya for Vianney’s third goal at 44:34.
The scoring was completed at the 52:09 mark, when it was Komar again who started the action. Komar chased down a long rebound of a Regler shot and fed it to Coyle, who tapped in her third goal of the match.
In total, the Lancers outshot Holy Cross (13-8-2) 19-6.
Coyle’s third goal marked the end to Vianney’s scoring, although she nearly added a fourth goal when her shot hit off the crossbar in the 54th minute. But the Lancers walked off the field with their first sectional title, knowing that they had played a nearly flawless game, and excited at the opportunity to move on in the state playoffs.
But the Lancers also know that they are facing a step up in competition, when they square off against defending champion Immaculate Heart Academy of Westwood this Friday at Kean University, Union, for the overall Parochial A crown.
Coach Mike Alosco’s Lancers will need to use every ounce of their team speed and big-play ability against the Blue Eagles, who have actually improved since last year’s championship run, and have earned the distinction of being the top-ranked team in the state.
But if Coyle and company continue to play as well as they have all year, they may find themselves celebrating another big victory Friday night.
While Coyle has been leading the Lancers to big victories, another player across town has also played the lead role in helping her team to a state sectional title.
Middletown South’s Tara Froehlich has been turning heads with her play all season long, and has continued to play extremely well in the postseason. And Thursday, Froehlich led the Eagles to their second consecutive Central Jersey Group III sectional title, and third in four years, with a 3-0 victory over Lawrence in the final.
The senior midfielder showed her unselfish, team-oriented play by setting up a pair of goals in the Eagle win. The first came at the 41:32 mark, when Froelich beat two defenders down the left side and found Lindsay Jarusiewicz six yards in front of the net.
Later, at the 65:28 mark, Froelich beat a defender on the end line and fed the ball to Courtney Bongiolatti 2 feet in front of the net for a score.
The Eagles (20-3) netted their third goal at the 69:14 mark, when Nicole Beaumont tickled the twine. In total, the Eagles dominated play, outshooting their opponents 24-7, and applying constant pressure to the Lawrence defense.
But it was Froelich who dictated the tempo with her uncanny ability to draw defenders so that she can find her teammates alone in front of the net. And the Eagles needed her to play at her best when they faced Ocean City at Hopewell Valley in the Group III semifinal yesterday.
Ocean City (15-3-2) was coming off a 2-1 win over Toms River South Thursday. After the two teams played to a 1-1 tie through regulation, the Red Raiders prevailed 4-3 in a shootout to win the South Jersey Group III title.
South was expected to win this anticipated matchup; however, at this point in the postseason, nothing is a given, and Froelich and company needed to continue their strong play if they had any hopes of reaching the Group III finals.